A Community of Parents and Teachers gathered to share views, visions and resources for
the advancement of art education for our children.

April 10, 2009

Welcome to Bass Arts Studio

We have been hearing a lot of great things about this New Jersey studio, Bass Arts Studio.

Located in Montclair, our home town as well, the studio offers classes throughout the year. There are 3 semesters, Fall, Winter and Spring, in addition to a Summer Art Camp for children ages 7-12. For teens, we offer a Summer Teen Art Studio Intensive as well as Fashion Camp.

At Bass Arts Studio, it is their mission "to recognize, affirm and support a child’s emerging individuality, and help strengthen a child’s sense of self through art-making. We create a safe environment where children are encouraged to playfully explore and experiment with media, engage in creative problem solving and learn to take creative risks."

Knowing Fern Bass, the founder of the studio, it is not surprising to hear complements like this:

"The individualized instruction at Bass Arts Studio helped my son prepare an art school portfolio that truly showcases his interests and talents" Rika Alper

"My daughter has taken several classes at Bass Art Studio. Fern is especially talented in bringing out her students' individual creative vision while building their skills. Her classes are fun, her students are inspired by their own growth, and Fern's enthusiasm is contagious." Ann Mernin, Montclair

"Fern was extremely productive, and painted all the time — quickly developing a body of work of which she could be proud. But as much as she loved to paint, the practical side of her nature told her that she wasn’t going to make a living at it.

"In spite of my diverse background in art, I still had to figure out a way to make at living at it," she realized.

Over the years, Fern had become friends with Andrey Tamarchenko, who was then director of the Nandi School of Art in Montclair. "We would often paint together and do a lot of talking about art," she said. "One day he asked me if I would like to teach at his school. I had no experience, but I knew I liked kids and it seemed like fun … and so I said ‘yes."’

The Grand EPIPHANY

"Then came my grand epiphany," she said. "I fell in love with teaching."

Fern had finally found the very thing she had been searching for all those years. "This was where I could devote my energy, and receive a meaningful return on my investment. And even get paid for doing it," she quipped.

Fern worked as an instructor at the Nandi School for three years before starting her own backyard art school. Now she teaches painting, drawing, and mixed media to children, teens and adults, and runs a children’s art camp in the summer."